Due Droughty and Ol’ Yeller

Our reader, Tom, brings you this article. It’s the second he has written for S&S and we look forward to many more.

“I don’t really know much about him. I heard he’s a bit of a yeller and I think that’s a good thing.”

That was Droughty’s quote before Sutter arrived, which Due spat out between claps for the birthday kid at a Chuck-E-Cheese off-day arcade day. This was probably his only chance to get out of the house in those old King’s pajamas he still wears. Since Sutter’s arrival, Due has really elevated his game, now at nearly curb level and expecting to reach tire-rim heights soon.

Am I down on Due Droughty?

Hell, yes.

As a salary leader on this team, Droughty cannot escape responsibility. Many applaud Due’s purported contribution as a high-minute D-man on a very good defensive team; I postulate that the team succeeds defensively despite Due Droughty.

Any objective review of the season so far and even the last 5 games where his game has somewhat improved, admittedly under a microscope while only focusing on the negative, finds many simple, fundamental, basic failings in all zones of play, and in all game situations.

The team is failing overall, while excelling at defense. Therefore, the nature of the failure is examined regarding the offensive ability of each player and of the team as a whole. Even if Droughty was “all that” as a pure D-man, which he is not, he would still be under-performing and overpaid.

Droughty has flashes, and I say misleading flashes, of highly noticeable activity. He sometimes makes a strong rush, but so does Johnson. Droughty sometimes makes the excellent outlet, but so does Matt Greene. Droughty almost never, but has rarely, made a strong hit, but Mitchell, and Greene, both do that far more and far better, and when they do it the possession is turned over to the King’s benefit.

What I see happening is a seeking of level between Johnson and Droughty; Johnson is improving, Droughty is degrading.

Why do I pick on Due? As I said, it’s his pay. He is one of the top paid D-men in the NHL. He is supposed to have a complete game; speed, size, shut-down ability, and scoring. What Droughty does have is speed, but his size is used ineffectively, the shut-down ability is therefore further weakened, and his scoring is going down like a Times Square hooker.

Doughty is still making the same kind of PeeWee mistakes I have been watching worsen since the end of last year. He reminds me of Paul Ruben, the real PeeWee, sitting in a movie theater.

Droughty continues to play rover, over-emphasizing the team’s new offensive focus into a net negative. Instead of creating a scramble for the other team, Droughty’s frequent turnovers while he is below the attacking faceoff dots create a scramble for the Kings.

Some will cite his recent goal in overtime; for me, this is only further evidence of the danger of a sloppy rush in that Droughty had nothing to do with the puck actually going in. Yes, he brought the puck to that area, but it dribbled off his stick and only went it because it hit an opponent’s skate. While the puck was errantly crawling at snail-speed, Droughty was down on the ice next to the net, out of the play and leaving the team vulnerable to a counter. Yes, the goal went in, but rather than a sign of good things to come, it seemed more like the “blind squirrel” theory in action.

As well, any mention of his offensive activity cannot ignore his 3 goals and minus 2 rating with a shooting percentage lower than anyone except Clifford and Moreau and Scuderi. And those three goals? Greene has 2. Mitchell has two. Alec Martinez has two and only played in half the games this season, and same with Drewiske, 2 goals in 7 games. For fuck’s sake, Trent Hunter has two goals, and Droughty has three? Meanwhile, Johnson has 5 and Voynov, in 24 games, has 4.

Due Droughty is slow to get off a shot from the blue line, and maddeningly so. Why he is always teeing it up and looking for a lane is baffling, as he loses the small lane gained from a quick pass by delaying the release. I think he is allergic to the one-timer, as he NEVER adjusts his stance to a pass to make a one-timer, while often not even taking advantage of the wheel-house successful pass. The guy habitually stops the freaking puck, is what I am trying to say here. It slows shit down, STOP IT. MAKE SCRAMBLES BY QUICK PUT-BACKS.

On the power play, this is especially a killer. It forces indecision from the teammates, because if Droughty is likely to not get it thru, they have to be available for an outlet pass. They can’t bum-rush the net, cuz the bum is gonna hold the puck that extra beat until the defender can place his shin pads directly in front of the easily predicted path of Droughty’s telegraphed shot.

On outlet passes for the breakout, Droughty often gets it blocked, again trying to play the puck thru the defender’s shinpads. If one merely looks for it, one sees at least 5 times a game where Droughty waits too long and then puts it right into a guy’s feet for a block.

As well, if it isn’t into a defender’s blocking feet, it is into our guy’s helplessly rushing feet instead of onto his stick. If one watches for it, one sees the many, many times Droughty wrong-sides a guy with a pass, or over-leads him, or handcuffs the guy putting it right at him. Seriously, some guys can hit the stick for the guy to take it in stride, some guys get the puck near the other guy but force an adjustment in stride and constrict the options of the receiver.

I could go on and on, and when people respond to this, I will be prompted to do just that. But my main point, of which I am convinced, is that Droughty is a terrific disappointment, that the disappointment comes from a cavalier attitude, and that Ol’ Yeller is gonna need to repeatedly light this dude up until he finally gets it that hockey is fun, but winning is serious business.

Doughty’s only struggles this season have come on the offensive end, as have (surprise!) everyone’s. Hockey is a team sport. Very rarely will you see one guy live up to expectations offensively – or defensively – when an entire team is struggling, and what any individual is making has not a single whit to do with it.

Doughty’s defensive play has been excellent, his reads are consistently excellent, and since he’s so skilled, the very sight of the puck on his stick causes the opponent to act defensively. What better defense is there?

Using Drew’s plus/minus as some sort of evidence of poor defense is really hollow and reflects badly on you for using it. Rob Scuderi is an excellent defender, and he is -3. Willie Mitchell is, in my view, the best defender on the team, and he’s just +1. In the context of the defensemen, Doughty is right around where all of the King blueliners are, except for Johnson of course. It’s only in extremes, such as in Johnson’s case, where he is consistently the worst +/- performer on the team year in and year out, can one draw any real conclusions from the stat.

Doughty’s discipline seems to waver from time to time, and as a guy who’s suffered a couple of concussions, there’s a certain part of me that doesn’t blame him for going out of his way to prevent the opposition from taking liberties with him out there. There’s a certain edge to his game that isn’t altogether bad to see, but he does go over the top with it from time to time. With experience, he’ll know when to reel it in.

“Ol’ Yeller is gonna need to repeatedly light this dude up until he finally gets it that hockey is fun, but winning is serious business.”

… Actually, the number one problem I see with Doughty is that he’s not going out there and having enough fun playing the game. He’s been too serious, too aware of his contract, too concerned with living up to it, and trying to do too much – just like many young guys with big contracts in pro sports. He just needs to settle down and enjoy the game. When he was playing at his best, he looked like he was a kid playing pond hockey, and had an attitude of wanting to be out there on the ice all night. In time, he’s got to find that again and make it work in his favor.

Doughty may think he’s hot shit but to me he’s cold diarhea in a dixie cup. Ignore the contract? Ignore the insane amount of money he’s making? Not having enough “fun” out there? How can you just set aside the money you’re making? It’s already done, he’s signed the contract and now he’s got to live with it and live up to it.

If he thinks he’s really worth all those zero’s then play like it. That’s his problem he doesn’t know how to. He doesn’t know how to deal with the pressure of something like that. He can’t calm down because he doesn’t know how to deal with it. And rightfully so because this is his first major deal. But his ego was so inflated that here he comes strutting his shit like he’s the next Bobby Orr and he’s gonna get paid dammit!

He’s strutting his shit alright but it ain’t even close to holding Bobby Orr’s jockstrap. Maybe the day he can “deal” with this contract he’ll start coming around but to me Voynov looks just as good if not Better than DD at this point.

What you portray as honesty was simply your opinion; it is not fact. So, your “honesty” is actually just an opinion, stated in a harsh and unkind manner. You appear to think it something like “tough love” or whatever, but don’t aggrandize your comment; it doesn’t fit.

As for the content of your second writing:

To discount Droughty’s salary is to ignore the basis of skill-determining-salary that clearly exists. To deny that one should, and is universally expected to perform at a higher level when one is paid more is flatly delusional.

Yes, the team is struggling; in fact, the greatest struggle is on the Power Play. Droughty is supposed to be the PP quarterback; how’s that going?

Factually speaking, you cannot refute the goal count, it is down, undeniably. Salary up, production down. Must I explain further?

His defensive play has not been excellent, and I am not alone in that thinking. Other idiots like the professional commentators, former players, coaches, GMs, and damn near everybody else acknowledges that Droughty is not having as good a year as he was expected to have. And it is purely ridiculous to think that Droughty possesses some witch-like quality that makes opponents fear to play offensively around him. Droughty does not make others act defensively as you claim, and that will remain my opinion until you can quantify this mysterious new quality.

As far as plus/minus, you seem to want to limit the talk on that, where it is only applicable to one player but not others. I don’t use the stat as a singular foundation point, I quoted many, the others of which you completely ignore because they are factually correct and make clear indication of sub-standard play from one of the highest paid players.

Further, his discipline is not something I brought up, but as you count it negatively, so do I.

As far as Droughty not having enough fun out there, I disagree. I see him bopping to the music, laughing on the bench, chatting with opponents, as I have said here and before. The guy is not a serious guy, and I get that; but to say he needs to have more fun is, I think, to ask him to place more focus on non-hockey activities. I want him to have fun by winning, from the satisfaction of pushing that damn rock up the hill until his lungs nearly burst, so he can stand on top of the hill knowing he earned it. That is, so far, not his character, and I think he needs to grow up a little and realize that most of his teammates have that attitude, and most of the winners in the game do, also.

… When you say things like “What I see happening is a seeking of level between Johnson and Droughty”, you’re letting your obvious bias cloud your judgment of the facts, such as the fact that Doughty is clearly a better player than Johnson, offensively and defensively. Every objective measure possible can show you that, but you chose to ignore what’s tangible in order to go on your little content-free “Droughty” tirade. I’m just trying to help you out here; it makes you look like you don’t have the foggiest understanding of this sport, which is sadly the case with a lot of Kings’ fans out there. It IS embarrassing when fans I’m counted with can’t or won’t appreciate talented players when they see them.

“To deny that one should, and is universally expected to perform at a higher level when one is paid more is flatly delusional.”

… Is this a joke? Actually, what’s delusional is to think that all of a sudden you’re going to get a better player just because that player is paid more money. That’s not how talent progression works; it never has worked like that, and it never will. Doughty and the Kings worked out a deal that they both felt was fair. And, that’s the end of it. One of the worst things about professional sports is the salaries of players being made public record. Those figures should be kept as private as the profit/loss figures of the team. Some fans, like you for instance, apparently think that player salaries somehow concern them, when the reality is that they don’t – at all. One of the things that’s hampering Drew, in fact, is the need to “live up” somehow to his deal, when all that he really needs to do is relax and play his game. Like I said, he’ll learn that in time.

“Yes, the team is struggling; in fact, the greatest struggle is on the Power Play. Droughty is supposed to be the PP quarterback; how’s that going?”

… All elements of the team’s offense are struggling, even strength and power play, and that’s a team issue, not a single player issue. In fact, the 5-on-5 problems loom much larger than the power play, of course. The team spends far more time in those situations than in any other. To single out one player and to say “salary up, production down” is ignorant of the real problem, which is that the entire team is not playing AS a team offensively.

“His defensive play has not been excellent, and I am not alone in that thinking. Other idiots like the professional commentators, former players, coaches, GMs, and damn near everybody else”

… Give me some examples of these former players and coaches and GMs saying that Doughty doesn’t play quality defense. Show me you’re not just making up things as you go along here. It would be nice if you sourced some of your claims in your article, rather than filling it up with unfunny references to kids’ show characters and intentional misspelling of names. Comedy obviously isn’t your thing; perhaps you can salvage something with actual objective analysis. I’ll hold out some hope for you.

“As far as plus/minus, you seem to want to limit the talk on that, where it is only applicable to one player but not others”

… That’s because that “one player” is currently -86 in his career that spans roughly four full seasons, and has not played a single season where his +/- wasn’t the worst of all the Kings’ defensemen. That is what’s known as a tendency. Meanwhile, Doughty has led the team’s defensemen in +/- the last two seasons. Doughty’s current -2 is an aberration; Johnson’s current -8 is simply par for the course. Doughty’s defensive indicators, like Relative Corsi and Zone start/finish percentages, are very solid. Johnson’s are terrible, and have been his entire career. It’s not that I’m limiting the talk on a stat like +/-, I’m just saying that if you’re going to use it for support of your diatribe against Doughty, at least do it right – with some supporting evidence and some context.

“ to say he needs to have more fun is, I think, to ask him to place more focus on non-hockey activities. ”

… This is you completely misunderstanding what I wrote, deliberately or otherwise. I would suggest you watch some video of Doughty playing over the last couple seasons, and notice his demeanor when he’s actually on the ice and playing. I’m not talking about when he’s on the bench, or during breaks in the action.

“I want him to have fun by winning, from the satisfaction of pushing that damn rock up the hill until his lungs nearly burst, so he can stand on top of the hill knowing he earned it. ”

… For chrissakes, are you serious with this? This is hockey, man; this isn’t some kind of gay Greek tragedy or whatever. If you want that kind of stuff, watch some figure skating I guess? Hockey isn’t about one person standing out – it’s about a team working together. One of the reasons Doughty is struggling is because there isn’t enough around him; it’s the same reason why Kopitar is struggling. It’s not easy to produce when there’s only one true first line forward and only one true first pairing defenseman on the team, but that’s what Anze and Drew are, and they have to deal with that game after game. You saw what happened to Mike Richards when he actually had to go against the opposing teams’ best defenders, didn’t you? His production dried up immediately. He showed why he’s been a second line player his whole career.

“That is, so far, not his character, and I think he needs to grow up a little and realize that most of his teammates have that attitude, and most of the winners in the game do, also.”

… The winners in hockey have a common thread – they have winners around them. Championships aren’t won by one or two guys. You might be able to get away with that in basketball, but not in hockey. There has to be balance and depth, and the Kings are sadly lacking in both. If you want to point a finger, point it at the architect(s) of this team. When Lombardi was hired, the Kings were a thin team on the playoff bubble with seemingly no indication of future success. Six years later, the Kings are a thin team on the playoff bubble with seemingly no indication of future success. It took half a dozen years for the Kings to get to where they were a half a dozen years ago. And, this is how losing franchises work. Rebuild, followed by unrealistic expectation, followed by perceived underachievement, followed by finger-pointing and chaos and a lack of accountability, followed by personnel changes, followed by a new rebuild which starts the cycle over again. Lather, rinse, repeat. This, with very rare exception, is the history of the Los Angeles Kings.

I must admit your post here creates a quandary for me. The quandary has nothing at all to do with your argument, but is about your being argumentative. When I decided to contribute articles here, I promised myself I would treat people who responded with all due respect. In this case, that oath provides zero restriction. The question then becomes moral; do I wish to sink to bickering and hostility, or should I ignore clearly inflammatory vitriol? My decision is to not allow you to impugn with impunity.

I have no idea why you think it proper to enter a discussion hurling incessant personal attacks. At first, I thought it was just knee-jerk reactions fed by a compulsive need for self-justification to further a superiority complex, but then I realized the word “knee” was superfluous.

Like DNA found among the mucus of a deep nasal swab, I was able to find some statements of point in your effluvia. Mired among self-contradiction and conflicting logic were indeed some actual positions relating to the debate at hand. I will address, and undress them.

You said, “… When you say things like ‘What I see happening is a seeking of level between Johnson and Droughty’, you’re letting your obvious bias cloud your judgment of the facts, such as the fact that Doughty is clearly a better player than Johnson, offensively and defensively.”

J.T., this is a straw man. I do not say they are equal; in clear English words I say they are seeking level as in getting closer, I do not say they have leveled as in equal.

You then respond to my following original statement: “To deny that one should, and is universally expected to perform at a higher level when one is paid more is flatly delusional.” Your response is…

“… Is this a joke? Actually, what’s delusional is to think that all of a sudden you’re going to get a better player just because that player is paid more money. That’s not how talent progression works; it never has worked like that, and it never will. That’s not how talent progression works; it never has worked like that, and it never will. Doughty and the Kings worked out a deal that they both felt was fair.”

One, higher paid players are indeed expected to play better. The joke is in your denying that, or perhaps not believing that. Two, I doubt the deal would have been the same if Doughty had said, “I promise to be on a six-goal-per-year pace at the halfway point.” Are you saying that expectations don’t exist whatsoever? I do not expect Droughty to “suddenly” become a better player; nor did I, the Kings, or Droughty himself expect his performance to worsen.

Then you say, “All elements of the team’s offense are struggling, even strength and power play, and that’s a team issue, not a single player issue.”

It’s both a team issue and a single player issue. This is a post speaks about Droughty, not the entire team, and doing so is proper. Droughty is singled out because he is the highest paid defenseman that was expected and is now being paid to do two things; play defense and also provide offense.

You think you challenge me with, “Give me some examples of these former players and coaches and GMs saying that Doughty doesn’t play quality defense.”

I don’t feel I need to provide examples of the consensus; the opinion is ubiquitous. Also, the article is primarily about Droughty under-performing offensively. Yes, I mention that he is not “all that” defensively, and I stand by it, but that was not the main thrust of the article, and you therefore focus on it inordinately.

“Show me you’re not just making up things as you go along here. It would be nice if you sourced some of your claims in your article…”

Actually, the burden of proof is on you to provide numbers showing that Droughty is having a good year. And, when I reference his whopping three goals, his plus/minus, his salary and relative salary ranking on the team and league-wide, his hitting stats, his shot-percentage…these are thing you need me to source? I gave numbers, bud; you give wild, snarky insults and baseless attacks.

Next, you say, “It’s not that I’m limiting the talk on a stat like +/-, I’m just saying that if you’re going to use it for support of your diatribe against Doughty, at least do it right – with some supporting evidence and some context.”

Here is just that, the original context: “As well, any mention of his offensive activity cannot ignore his 3 goals and minus 2 rating with a shooting percentage lower than anyone except Clifford and Moreau and Scuderi.” This is the only mention of plus/minus in the entire article, while the main focus was on other stats relative to the other D-men. I grant you the position relative to Johnson, but doing so does nothing to undermine my assessment of Droughty; he is a minus 2, he does have just three goals, and his shooting percentage is indeed 4th worst on the team. You simply over-emphasize my use of the stat, demanding that I provide more context for it. If I used it more, I should provide context for it, but in this case you chose to ignore the actual context and incorrectly attribute too much importance to the stat as it was used by me.

Your last two paragraphs actually present a concrete position. I was stunned. You wish to expand the argument, the subject matter, to a team-wide assessment where I am only focusing on Droughty. Of course it is a team game, but then you single out Richards. If it is proper to focus on Richards, then it is proper to focus on Droughty, as I have done. And, by the way, saying that Richards is a second line player (center) when he was brought in to be the second center, is not an insult to Richards. Expecting him to produce first-line points immediately after switching from Center to Wing only suits your argument, but not the complete reality.
Perhaps you could take a shot at producing some original material in an article, instead of being a gadfly to whomever else makes that effort.

Finally, having reached the end of the tedium of this interchange, I would make a request; if you wish to have a discussion with me, try to lay off the snide and cruel impudence. It detracts from the already meager substance in your arguments. If you are so worried about this site, as you seem to be- “… Well, all I can say is – if anyone ever needed evidence as to why many Kings’ fans by and large are considered a joke, here’s exhibit A. ‘Due Droughty’? Honestly? Between this and the Penner stuff, it’s been a dark day on this site. How embarrassing…” then perhaps you should not debase yourself, and the site, with needlessly pointed hostility.

DD’s cap hit takes more than a 10 % bite out of the Kings’ salary cap. Mitchell and Scuderi combined cap hit is at 6.9 million. I won’t even mention Voynov’s salary and his game is about on par with DD’s right now. I know Doughty is going to get better. At least I hope so because right now I would take 10 Voynovs over 1 Doughty in a heartbeat.

“J.T., this is a straw man. I do not say they are equal; in clear English words I say they are seeking level as in getting closer, I do not say they have leveled as in equal.”

… Yeah, I figured you would say that. Just wanted to make sure. Just so we can do away with one of your endless vagaries, how close would you say they are, specifically?

“ Are you saying that expectations don’t exist whatsoever? I do not expect Droughty to “suddenly” become a better player; nor did I, the Kings, or Droughty himself expect his performance to worsen.”

… Nope, I didn’t expect him nor the rest of the team to not be able to score many goals. But his play and the team’s play go hand in hand. Do I have to explain how hockey works to you? Doughty’s not going to put up many assists if the forwards can’t finish. Doughty’s not going to score many goals if opponents can focus on him instead of the forwards. The Kings’ offense is inadequate and imbalanced, and that makes it difficult for even the best offensive players on the team to put up points. You can single out Doughty because of what he makes if you want. It’s an ignorant thing to do, and it’s completely devoid of the team context, but you can do it.

“I don’t feel I need to provide examples of the consensus; the opinion is ubiquitous.”

… Of course not. Because you’re making it up.

“Actually, the burden of proof is on you to provide numbers showing that Droughty is having a good year.”

… The hell it is. The burden of proof is on YOU, as the author of the article. YOU are the one saying you’re down on him. YOU are the one saying he sucks offensively and defensively. And don’t continue to insult my intelligence by saying you didn’t say the specific words “he sucks offensively and defensively”, OK? Your article says he’s “elevated” his game to “curb level”. You’re saying he sucks, in other words. You’re saying he’s terrible offensively, and that the team has a good defense in spite of him. YOU need to prove what you say. Listing his goal total and his +/- rating as your evidence is the beginning of the argument, not the end. I’m not going to do YOUR work for you. Nice try.

“his hitting stats”

… What does that have to do with anything??? Doughty has 64 hits in 37 games. That’s a little over one and a half per game. That’s second on the team behind Matt Greene. So, what’s your point? That Drew’s not the hitter Greene is? No shit. His hits, if anything, are higher than I expected, considering how often he has the puck.

“Finally, having reached the end of the tedium of this interchange, I would make a request; if you wish to have a discussion with me, try to lay off the snide and cruel impudence.”

… How about you cry me a river. And when you’re done – grab a tissue, write “Due Droughty!” ten times on it, and dry your eyes with it. If you don’t like going back and forth with me, don’t do it. THE END.

Sorry buddy, I’ve got to disagree with you disagreeing. Highest cap hit on the team, DD is a disappointment. The numbers say it all. The only stretch of Paul Coffey type play seen from DD was during the Olympics. Besides that, he’s playing average hockey (with flashes of brilliance) at the cost of an extremely above average cost to the team. And dude hit the mail on the head with his slow release. I scream at my tv at least 3 times a game will DD waits for shooting lanes to close faster than my wife’s legs after a me coming home from a 2 day bender!

Always thought we should have gone after byflugien when hawks had the fire sale. There’s a guy that hits the hell outta people, shutsdown and scores. His cap hit is reasonable as well. I think winepeg would make that trade since they love doughty up there. Doughty +1 for Byflugien and Kane.

Your breakdown on DD at the circles is totally off. That is part of the new system tweak that Sutter has implemented, and it’s working just fine. DD is supposed to carry the puck there off the cycle to create a misdirection while the winger who was originally carrying the puck, skates through to cover his position.

Don’t see where you get scrambling because of DD carrying it there. The Kings system defensively is damn near flawless.

Outlet passes coming out of the zone (mainly that first pass from D to forwards) are being picked off by all our D. That is a weakness, but it’s not exclusive. The reason it happens to DD more than the others is because DD’s on the ice 27 minnutes, and has the puck more.

You are talking about a possession cycle, I am talking about wild rushes a la the rover, as was the context. I am not saying I hate Droughty, those were not my words at all. My words were that he is a disappointment, that he has a cavalier attitude, that he is outside the system overemphasizing offense with NO RESULTS, and that he is overpaid according to actual play and, if we were to judge by this year’s standard, he is overpaid even if you are banking on his potential in the coming years.

He does shoot it too slow, he does pass it into legs, he does get caught low in the attacking zone, he does not hit as much as he should and is one of the lightest hitters on the D, he does have just three goals, and he is getting paid 6 million actual dollars.

In all the years I’ve known you, I never realized your name was Tom. lol

As far as DD being a disappointment this season, I understand the sentiment. I am probably the only one who see’s the hold out during the summer as the main cause, and that it was DL induced, not DD forced.

I know this is unpopular, but I see it different. I saw it as a major mistep by Dean who leveraged everything on this season just to turn around and strongarm DD.

I thought it was unnecessary, hurt DD’s forward progress, and set the tone for the teams overall performance.

From that perspective, I don’t blame him for taking so long to get going to start the season, and don’t base his perfomance on his salary anyways.

Even at his current rate, he is still head and shoulders above any defenseman we have talent wise.

Could he be better? Most definately. I see a defenseman who still has things to figure out, and even though he gets payed a lot, it’s still gonna take time to sort it out, but he is getting payed more because that top end is higher then most, not because he’s there now.

Production wise, he could score more, But the entire team isn’t scoring.

With 1 or 2 guys not scoring, you could say the effort, or talent is not there. With 25 guys not scoring, or meeting their potential, it’s not an individual failure, but a team wide concept that is failing the players.

It is an interesting idea, to bring Lombardi’s tactics into Droughty’s performance. On first blush, my gut reaction is that we are halfway into the season, and Droughty should be further along on his personal curve” than he is. Even if he was delayed at the beginning of the season, he is still far behind what he was two years ago.

The one comment I can make on this : Drew is a guy who can improve. and needs time to figure things out, even though he plays more minutes then our other D.
It will take not only playing time but actual years. That is how a person matures. It is all a process

Bravo Tom!
My disappoint with him is the number of penalties he gets while skating two inches from the ref and then acting shocked when the penalty is called.
Really???
Way overpaid and way too uninteresting to bother with!

This was a good read because every point made I could visualize. That being said, I think our Doughty is more a victim of immatutity and youth. If his teamates and others that surround him remember that, and not the dollar signs, I hope we see one of our Journeymen taking the time to help Doughty become that Elite player we King fans know he has the skill to be.
GO KINGS GO!!!

I am confused by all of the Doughty supporters!! Are you guys watching the same game that I do?? I mean….I do watch every game from the 300 level so maybe I am missing something due to a lack of oxygen in the brain from being so high (and beer consumption).

From my perspective, DD is NOT playing to his abilities and is a major disappointment. He is developing a very bad habit of cross-checking opponents in the back. He holds onto the puck way too long, allowing the other team to always “catch-up”. I see him standing around on the ice and taking his sweet ass time getting to the bench for a line change. I do not see the “hustle” out of him he displayed in previous years.

“I see him bopping to the music, laughing on the bench, chatting with opponents”. That shit is fine if we are putting pucks in the net and winning. However, to be fricken having “fun” when the team is losing is crazy! I agree with what JT is saying about DD playing his best when he had the attitude of a “kid playing pond hockey”. I concur with that wholeheartedly. When he stops thinking about his $7,000,000 salary, I suspect he will get back to his “”kid playing pond hockey” ways and loosen up on the ice.

Doughty’s passing skill is his weakest area, I wonder what his pass completion
percentage is. most king’s fan would agree that Voynov’s passes are crisp and on the tape, but lot of Doughty’s passes are not receivable passes, especially the ones where the receiver is near the opponent’s blue line, sometimes I wonder if that’s done on purpose for a deflection into the opponent’s zones.

I love how the Kings are one of the best teams in the league defensively, but to you Doughty still gets no respect and fucking sucks. There are 29 other teams that would kill to have Due Droughty on there team. Doughty is a defenceman with offensive upside, there is nothing wrong with his defensive game but needs to get more points, well so does the whole entire Kings team but at least he is doing his primary job and that is defence. Why isn’t anyone getting on precious fucking Kopitars back, he makes $6.8 million/year and is inconsistent at best. He makes more money than the Sedins, Kesler, Toews, Kane, Getzlaf, Perry, Giroux, Parise, Datsyuk and Zetterberg to name a few and he isn’t half the player these guys are. So my fucking god damn question is where the hell is accountability? Don’t get wrong I like Kopi but people need to lay off Doughty, he is not the only one making big cash and underperforming.

“The team is failing overall, while excelling at defense. Therefore, the nature of the failure is examined regarding the offensive ability of each player and of the team as a whole. Even if Droughty was “all that” as a pure D-man, which he is not, he would still be under-performing and overpaid.”

This is a post about Droughty, not Kopitar. If I were to make a post about Kopitar, you could come in and complain about Johnson, and on and on. Kopitar’s relative performance has no bearing on Droughty’s assessment, really. This is about Droughty. Maybe you could write a post about Kopitar, or accountability, lots of rooom for an article there.

Because Kopitar is really precious. He’s got 36 points in the season and is tied for 30th in scoring. Williams is 2nd in scoring with 24 points. Richards has 23. And this is arguably at his worst on a team that doesn’t score a lot. He’s been the Kings’ top scorer for the past four seasons despite TM’s defense first system and lack of quality wingers. Sure he’ll never win the gold at the Olympics. He won’t be nominated for the Norris trophy either. But he sure has been inconsistent in his 5 seasons with the Kings. I’m really not sure what the so-called experts were thinking when they tagged him as one of the best two way centers in the NHL and a possible future Selke trophy winner.

A lot of great points. All from different sides of the fence, but there is one prevailing theme. Almost everyone sees problems and a lack of not living up to his full potential this season. Beyond that it’s coming down to personal opinion and observation really.

Myself, DD is driving me nuts. I want that kid from a few years back. The kid that stole the show in VAN at the Olympics. Where is he? Someone put his picture on some milk cartons so we can find him.

Interesting points on the holdout and “who is to blame”. My view of it is that Drew, not DL or Meehan should have controlled this. If he is committed to the team, his development and his teammates should have taken control of this. Told the old men to get this done yesterday, I have a training camp to get to. By reporting late and then the injury it did delay his ability to really get ready.

When it comes to actual play, personally I think he keeps pressing to much. Trying to make something out of nothing. I think wwhen he slows down and gets back to basics he will start to shine.

The cross checking thing is a bad habit he HAS to get out of. J Fox I know keeps bringing it up almost every time he gets called for it. It’s a lazy positioning thing to do this. He moves in one stride closer and puts his stick on the top of the pants and presses down, he gets away with it most of the time. It’s the extenstion of the arms that makes it easy for the ref to call every time.

Comparing his +/- with the others is relevant. Until the league updates the stat its one of the few ways of looking at players on both sides of the puck stat wise. Seeing as how everyone and their mother for the past 3+ years has been tearing on JJ over his +/-, why shouldn’t DD be held to the same comparison?

Just to elaborate further about the +/- argument, over the last 3 years (not including this year) DD is +16 and JJ is -54. This year DD is -2 and JJ is -8. Sure Doughty may not be fully living up to his $7 mill contract but JJ isn’t worth his $4.35 mill contract either. So where is JJ’s accountability, yes DD’s cross checks are getting annoying but JJ’s giveaways in our own end are getting way more frustrating. I bet if you ask Quick/Bernier who they would rather have on the ice in a tie game it would be Doughty hands down, cause we all know how many time Quick has to bail out JJ’s dumb decisions. What I am trying to say is that its not just DD, it’s JJ, kopi, hell the whole damn team (besides Quick, Bernier, Mitchell, Scuderi, and sometimes Greene) are overpaid.

Doughty came here under the assumption that he ALWAYS wanted to play for the L.A. KINGS…..remember that!!!!

HIS holdout was a complete contradiction and an insult to that distinction, and in NO WAY was DL responsible or creating any harmful intent. His pay was and would have been fair, now it is a hinderance, and a glaring problem for future free agents, RFA’s & UFA’s within our franchise.
AND, bringing in any star UFA scorers just got more difficult than ever, thanks to this fucked up contract.

QUICK is from the east coast, and right in the middle of a cluster of NHL teams and rivalries that he grew up around.
WHY WOULD HE REMAIN A KING???? DOES HE HAVE THAT DOUGHTY COCKEY SWAGGER??? HE IS A SUPERSTAR without the TAG, from playing in the WEST. BUT the TAG is coming….Then what’s the price?? What’s his insentive to remain a KING where players don’t come here, and the player’s we draft can demand a ransome to stay.
AND WE CAN’T SCORE GOALS……Primarily from our 7 million dollar SUPERSTAR D-MAN.
Also remember, he was developing in Manchester with, Moulson, Boyle, and Purcell…who since have gone to the EAST and are thriving and making more money and more fame.
SO HOW MUCH FOR QUICK?????
Doughnut demanded a salary for the player he is GOING to be???
Already concussed once???
I see BOSTON already positioning with the salary they will have available, Thomas retires, Rask for Stamkos, Perry, NAME IT, then sign QUICK in the summer of 2013, that’s a fuckin’ NIGHTMARE.
Bernier is our top trade chip, and NO WAY IS HE GOING ANYWHERE
Thanks to DOUGHTY. Quick will not be obtainable

His 1st and 2nd years, in the offensive zone he was getting pressured hard (as in forwards getting right in his face, 3-5 feet away from him), which is a bad way to play Doughty, because in tight he will evade defenders and spin away to open ice. This is how he was so effective his 2nd year. Since then the opponent’s have adjusted. They only put mild pressure on him and force Drew to make the first move. Drew’s offense comes from being great at reacting to the play, but when you force him to make the first move, he isn’t as effective. So whereas before forwards were getting in his face, now they are hanging back a few feet, say 6-10 feet away from him, but still within a step or two, and Drew hasn’t adjusted to this in over a year. He second guesses himself (pass vs. slapshot) and ends up telegraphing his plays (a team-wide problem). So Doughty’s deception, the #1 asset to his offensive production in his sophomore year, is all but rendered nil.

We are left with a guy who passes too hard and hasn’t learned to keep his slapshot wind-up from looking like Bubba Watson’s golf swing.

Interesting take, Doughty the counter-puncher… I have had that thought with the power play, too, we have guys that are good at controlling the play when under pressure, but give them free room and time to create and they freeze. I want to fix that PP, but it has to start with the point men either making plays or interchanging position to misdirect…

Do with Doughty what they did with JJ. Give him ONE thing to make a conscenious commitment to…(with JJ they had/are having him work on his defensive Positioning). Make it the One focus that everyone from coaches to D partner remind and encourage him to do. For DD slowing down s ‘bit’, thinking ‘basics’ could get him back on track. Everyone matures at a different rate. Doughty is Young. Treat him age appropriate and I think you will see positive results.
GO KINGS GO!!!

I don’t really care what he is getting paid, but it really is the elephant in the room. As the team’s top paid player, DD asked for the extra scrutiny and the spotlight. Is all of it warranted? Hell, yes!!! If you’re the team PP QB and the team can’t score worth a damn on the PP it _IS_ you’re fault more than anybody else. Plain and simple. Does some of the blame fall elsewhere? Well, sure. But before I go after a $3.2M Brown, $3.6M Stoll, $3.6M Williams, $4.2M Penner, $5.8M Richards or even $6.8M Koptiar I am going to jump on DD’s $7.0M balls. It makes perfect sense to me. Make it happen DD.